Kelowna officer on trial for alleged assault faces new charge after cruiser crash

Jennifer Stahn

(ADAM PROSKIW /InfoTel Multimedia)

June 10, 2015 - 5:28 PM

KELOWNA - An RCMP officer already on trial for allegedly assaulting a bar patron has made a court appearance on an unrelated charge of running a red light and hitting a vehicle in Kelowna, B.C.

Court has heard Const. Grant Jacobson, 32, was not on an urgent call when he was driving his cruiser to the West Kelowna detachment in October 2013.

A father and son riding in a car that was struck at an intersection had minor injuries.

The pair testified they did not hear a siren though some witnesses said Jacobson had his emergency lights and siren activated.

The case is expected to continue at a later date as Jacobson prepares to return to court on July 7 for the third day of his assault trial.

Court heard two weeks ago that John McCormick, a 61-year-old regular at a pub, was unco-operative at closing time last June. Jacobson was one of three Mounties encouraging people to leave.

A video camera recorded Jacobson in uniform as he spoke to McCormick. The pair started struggling and Jacobson pulled McCormick’s arm behind his back.

In video shown in court, McCormick is seen resisting. Jacobson began punching the man with his right fist and wrestled him to the patio floor. He appeared to punch McCormick at least three times and kneed him in the chest before sitting on him.

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